Who are the monsters, and who are the men
by Evanlyn Winter
Summary: Loki learning to live and deal with the avengers. Prob Frost Iron later on. Avengers and Loki start out not really liking each other but become friends over time. Will have some fluffy, angsty, and H/C moments. Focused around Loki, and how hes not really evil. Also Clint's kind of a jerk at first, but can you really blame him?
1. Chapter 1

**Background info, read before you start the story:**

 **Loki joined the Avengers as part of his punishment, but he refuses to live in the tower**

 **also this sill be a multi-chapter fanfic and pls feel free to R & R!**

Tony squinted as he read the sheet with the address Thor had given him. It had taken a lot of convincing and promises to get the sheet. Surely Thor hadn't lied about the address? That was Loki's area of expertise.

Tony knew this neighborhood and it was shady and _poor_ , and Tony couldn't imagine his royal prat living somewhere like _that._ He could live in the tower, but noooo, Loki had decided he was too high and mighty for that, or at least that's what he had said.

Now Tony was confused though, because _surely_ living at the tower had to be better than living _here_. Tony was beginning to doubt whether Loki had been lying when he said that he was too high maintenance for the tower.

Because when he walked in he could see how much of a dump it was. He headed up the stairs to the top floor, which was floor 5. _Darn it, they don't even have an elevator;_ Tony thought in exasperation, _Well, I guess that's why Loki is always so fit_. He mentally shrugged, and headed up the stairs.

When he reached floor 5 he began to hear faint singing. And _dang_ if that singing wasn't beautiful. Tony was shocked when it only got stronger the closer he got Loki's room.

 _Now here is a riddle to guess if you can  
Sing the bells of Notre Dame  
Who is the monster and who is the man_

 _Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells  
Bells, bells, bells, bells  
Bells of Notre Dame_

 _Oh oh oh_

 _Oh oh oh_

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh!_

 _ooooohhhhHHHHHH!_

Tony stood in shocked silence, his hand frozen in midair as he had been about to knock. Loki had been singing, and had hit the highest note he had heard a man ever hit. Loki's voice wasn't just good, it was beautiful, and Tony was shocked to say the least.

Tony shook his head and knocked, he was here to try to convince Loki to live with the avengers, not here to listen to Loki's singing.

"You know you don't have to knock, Thor. If the door is unlocked then you can come in."

Tony opened the door and immediately noticed the temperature drop. It wasn't a very subtle drop either, when he opened the door and 40 degree colder air rushed out.

"ummmm, not Thor, good singing by the way" Tony helpfully said as he opened the door to reveal a very _shocked_ god to say the least.

Loki was wearing only a green towel, and that was only mentioning his clothes. Loki's raven black hair wasn't in its slicked back style but falling in damp waves around his face. Then there was his skin, which was blue with patterns scrawled across it. The most shocking was Loki's eyes though, which were blood red, and widened in shock and then anger.

The slip of paper with the address dropped to the floor in his shock. Tony got to stare at the half naked god for 1 second before a door was magically slammed in his face. Tony quickly stuck out a foot to stop it. Tony forced his way into the room.

"GET OUT" Loki shrieked at the top of his lungs, looking panicked. His skin and eyes were now normal though, which Tony noticed with interest. The temperature had also returned to normal temperature too, Tony wondered if the 2 things were connected.

"Get out now!" Loki said, while Loki looked less panicked, he now looked more deranged.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony stood his ground.

"No"

Loki started to shove him out the door using magic, but tony dug his heels into the ground. But because the magic was still pushing him, he just fell flat on his face.

"I'm not leaving" Tony said, straightening his suit and standing up.

Loki, who had known Tony for long enough to know that he wasn't easily swayed, just blew a strand of raven hair out of his face in exasperation.

"Fine, might as well take a seat then" Loki said in annoyance. Tony, who hadn't been able to get a clear shot of the room until now was shocked to say the least.

The room was smaller than _all_ of his broom closets _combined_. There was a worn couch in the corner, an equally worn wood table in front of it. The beige paint on the wall was torn and chipping off. There wasn't even a separate bedroom. Loki's bed had a single thin green blanket on it and was tiny to say the least. He couldn't help but wonder how Loki fit his long and lean body on such a small thing.

Before Tony could blink Loki had teleported out of the room and was back, now wearing an emerald green form fitting t-shirt and black, hip hugging, skinny jeans.

"Better start explaining Reindeer Games" Tony said.

Loki feigned indifference, "I don't know what you're talking about"

"Of course you do, why didn't you tell me you could sing like that? I could have make you famous and been rich off of it!"

Loki looked shocked "but you're already rich" he said with exasperation, which was an emotion he commonly used with Tony.

"Well yeah! But I could have been even richer, and think about it, you could be a singer!"

Loki's facepalmed and he sighed inwardly.

"No way, Tony"

Tony pouted, "Party pooper"

Tony seemed to be debating something and Loki waited, eyeing him warily. Tony knew this was a touchy subject, so he tried to be joking, hoping it would ease the situation. He failed epically.

"So, are you always blue?" Tony joked, _wow that sounded a lot better in my head._

He knew he had messed up when Loki stiffened and started to go transparent as he stood, about to teleport away.

Tony grabbed his arm before he could, and practically yanked him back down. Loki, who had not expected to be so forcefully kept in the room, fell down on top of Tony. Loki was now practically sitting on Tony's lap.

While Tony had expected the man to be blushing or punching him instead Loki just struck a sultry pose, stared at him with bed eyes, clicked his tongue and said "and you haven't even taken me to dinner"

Tony just squeaked an indignant "WhAt!?"

Loki just continued to look at him almost hungry, grinning like a wolf. "Did you think I would be embarrassed at being in your lap Tony? Or perhaps you thought I would be violent, or maybe even swoon in your arms like a maiden?"

Tony was so surprised he just pushed Loki off of his lap. _Loki even manages to look elegant falling on the floor_ Tony thought with irritation.

Before Tony could blink, Loki had climbed on top of him and whispered "I am much more complicated than you mortals assume I am"

Tony realized with shock what Loki was doing, he was trying to change the topic. As soon as Tony had brought up the blue skin he had destracted him.

Tony now told him "nice try at changing the topic, but it wont work"

Loki shrugged, "it almost did"

Tony looked at him with an unreadable expression "I guess there's a reason you are called the 'whore prince of the nine realms'"

Loki looked almost irked at the name, like one would at an untrue rumor. "An unfair title I assure you, I only did what I had to to save Thor at the time"

Tony knew that he couldn't beat around the bush anymore and got to the point.

"why was your skin blue with red eyes?"

While Loki straightened, he didn't try to leave again.

"I am what is known as Jotunn, also known as frost giants, whose natural skin color is blue with red eyes." Loki said, purposefully distancing himself from this expieriance, to keep any personal feelings from it. "In Asgard, they are hated as monsters and children are told tales at night to scare them" Loki tried to hide his bitterness about his heritage, but didn't quiet hide it all.

Tony noticed but decided not to mention it, or pry too much.

"But aren't you Asgardian?" Tony asked in confusion.

"Odin found me abandoned; my father, the king of Jotunnheim; abandoned me because I was a runt. Believe or not, I am actually small for a Jotunn. When I looked at Odin, I copied how Asgardians looked, and Odin put a glamour on me that made me look like that forever. The spell was broken when I touched an artifact of Jotunnheim, and now I have to keep up the glamour myself. I take it off because it is a constant strain on my magic."

"Is that why you don't live at the tower?" Tony asked.

"One of the reasons, that is also the reason I live here. The neighbors don't care how cold it is or the odd happenings in the apartment next to them."

"That could be fixed if you lived in the tower" Tony said cautiously, like he was poking a bear, which in a way he was.

 _Loki is already the odd one out, he doesn't need to distance himself more_ Tony thought as he watched Loki.

Loki looked sad, "The group wouldn't want to live with a monster, and Clint barely tolerates the five minuets he has to spend with me" There was another reason Loki didn't stated though. Loki still had nightmares about the Chitauri's torture, and he wasn't going to willingly let any of the Avengers see that. It was worse enough that Tony had seen his Jotunn form, what if the rest of the team found out too? Thor and now Tony knew, but the rest of the team didn't.


	3. Chapter 3

"but wouldn't it be quicker and more efficient to live at the tower?" Tony said.

This was a lie and Tony knew it too. Loki always somehow knew when he was needed and just teleported in, full Asgardian armor and everything.

"Why are you so insistent on me coming to live in the tower?" Loki asked in suspicion.

"Because you are only distancing yourself more!" Tony said in exasperation.

'And you are implying that I desire to fit in, in some way" Loki said nonplussed.

Tony seemed to mumble to himself before talking into a comm., saying that they may need the blackmail after all.

Bruce walked in holding Loki's helmet. Loki moved to take it back, but paused when he remembered just how _gentle_ the Hulk was. He didn't want to repeat that experience.

Loki looked at Bruce and tried to magically grab the helmet. Tony and Bruce had figured this would happen, so while Loki was distracted for a second trying to magic the helmet away, Tony clipped a magic suppressing bracelet on his wrist.

Loki heard the _click_ and looked over to see Tony putting a bracelet on his hand. Loki stared in shock at the bracelet.

"Now, you cant get your helmet or get the bracelet off until you come and _live_ in the tower" Tony said, a smug look on his face.

Loki made a frustrated sound but reluctantly said "fine". Tony knew Loki was almost timid around Bruce and tended to avoid him, so he used that fact in his favor.

The group collected Loki's things, which to Bruce's shock could all fit in one suitcase.

"Leave the furniture, everything will be provided at the tower" Tony told Loki.

Tony removed the bracelet, as promised. When Bruce left after handing Loki his helmet, Loki sighed in relief. He waved is hand green and all the walls turned green and the floor turned black. Any remaining piece of the room not black or green was now gold.

Loki put up all his things, trying to distract himself, but it only took 10 minutes to put everything up. Just then Tony walked in, arms full of clothes and belongings with Thor walking behind him.

"BROTHER, WE BRING YOU GIFTS" Thor boomed. Loki winced at the loudness as Thor dumped all of the clothes on his younger brother. The clothes promptly buried an indignant Loki. From under the stack, you could just barely hear muffled yelling.

Tony was laughing so hard he dropped his items too and was almost crying when Loki popped his head out of the clothes like a mole.

Loki, at seeing Tony laughing, promptly turned his nails pink with hearts on them. Tony, upon looking at the nails, simply said "hey, these look nice, I think I'll keep them" Loki only huffed in exasperation.

"Was your only purpose here to be to bring me clothes?" Loki asked.

"Well that and to annoy you" Tony replied, but then he seemed to hesitate "…and to make you a new costume"

"And what is wrong with my current one?" Loki said, acting almost like a kid being told that he could keep wearing his Halloween costume forever.

"Well, for one, we humans are big on symbolism here, and you wearing the costume you tried to conquer earth in kinda gives off bad vibes" Tony explained.

After a lengthy argument and some convincing, Loki finally let Tony give him outfits to try on. After five straight "no"s to outfits, Tony finally asked what Loki would like.

"Green, black, and gold; with a similar style to my current armor but it has to be comfortable"

Tony seemed to contemplate before handing Loki an emerald green long sleeve tee-shirt and black hip hugging pants with an overcoat similar to Loki's current one.

Loki tried on the shirt and asked what material it was.

"Oh, it's one shield only lets it's agents and allies use, it sort of like Kevlar, but lighter and more flexible."

Loki twisted, testing its flexibility and deemed it appropriate. Tony then handed him the pants, which Loki also approved.

Loki seemed pleased as he tried on the long coat, though. The long coat looked similar to Loki's old one, including even the leather straps, but was slightly simpler and less thick. Loki put it on and tested it, and gave Tony something rare, a compliment.

Thor had told Tony before that his brother wasn't rare with compliments, just that he only gave them to people he knew and liked in some way.

The only piece of clothing left was the boots now, they were black riding boots, made of soft leather. Loki tried them on and seemed surprised.

"These are actually softer than my Asgardian ones" Loki said in interest.

"Well of course they are, all of these clothes are specially made for you by yours truly" Tony replied, picking up all the clothing of the floor and dumping it on the bed. _I hope Loki doesn't think im going to put this up_ Tony thought while internally laughing at the idea.

Loki waved a hand and all the clothes were in the wardrobe.

Tony looked around the room and suddenly yelled

"HEY WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM!"

"Technically it my room now" Loki told a very agitated Tony.

Thor tried to calm Tony down by telling him that Loki could turn it back anytime he wanted. Loki turned the walls back to their original color to prove a point before turning everything in the room black. Tony only looked around before walking out. As soon as Tony walked out, Loki turned the room back to its previous black, green, and gold scheme.

"I do something nice for someone evil, and what do I get? A totally ruined room. He doesn't even _own_ it. He didn't even ask…." Tony grumbled to himself, while Thor trailed behind, looking amused at his brother's antics.

Because what Tony didn't know was that there was another reason Loki hadn't lived with the Avengers, Loki liked to pull pranks occasionally on those around him, and right now Tony's room was bright pink with My Little Pony stickers all over it. For as much as Thor complained when Loki pranked himself or his friends, he secretly found it amusing, as long as Loki didn't do it too often.


	4. Chapter 4

_"_ _You have failed "they say in an angry and disappointed tone._

 _"_ _I'll try again, I won't fail next time!" I tell them hurriedly. I didn't want them to hurt me again, like they did last time I displeased them._

 _"_ _There won't be a next time" they say, grinning at me while their leader hold me up by the neck and slams me into a wall. I was gasping for breath and I could see black on the edge of my vision._

 _"_ _I only wanted to please you!" I yell as my master strangled me._

 _"_ _Well obviously you didn't or we wouldn't be here right now" he says as he tightens his grip on my throat. I try to wrench free of his hold but cant. I always was tiny compared to every else, midguardians excluded. I twisted and turned, trying to break free._

 _Just as I was about to pass out, he abruptly released his hold on me and I sunk to the floor, gasping painfully. I felt dizzy. My lungs couldn't get in enough air._

 _I tried to get up but I was pushed down roughly "Stay down" their leader says roughly. I am then being yanked back up and being held still. I tried to yell but a dirty cloth was shoved in my mouth._

 _As I thrashed and tried to get free a voice whispered in my ear "I told you to be compliant, but since you weren't now we have to do this the hard way" I stilled and closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to come, and_ _ **I didn't have to wait long**_ _._

 _I heard the crack of a whip distantly. My ears were ringing, and I felt dizzy and sick. Then came the pain, as I felt the whip cut into my flesh I screamed. Several whippings in they stopped and I lay panting on the ground._

 _I thought they had stopped, that they were done._ _ **I was wrong.**_ _I was hauled upright and placed in a tub of hot water. The water burned, but as I screamed my head was shoved underwater and I chocked._

 _After a while, I was let up for air. I gasped in the air like a drowned rat, clinging to the side of the tub like container. The water was cool now, but it was red. I vaguely noted that it was my blood and that I was covered in blood too. They dragged me out of the tub, onto the cold hard floor._

 _The wounds on my back had become numb, and now I just felt a low throbbing. They hadn't been this thorough before, not even last time, to ensure that I succeeded in taking over earth. Everyone was watching this, and all the soldiers were laughing._

 _I looked in their eyes, but before long, another whip came down on me and I looked down._

 _"_ _That's right, cower before you masters" their leader hissed into my ear. I dared to look up at him. His hand struck across my face and I went collapsed onto the floor. "Learn to be submissive, slave"_

 _I nodded and whimpered in pain. I could always feel them in my head, always watching. Any privacy was an illusion, and I knew it. I bowed in front of him, and he laughed. He ordered the guards to take me back to my cell, and I was dragged upright by my hair._

 _The guards threw me in my cell. Even alone in my cell I was never truly alone, for I could always feel their presence in my mind, telling me what to say and do. I curled up into a ball and let the pain drag me into the blessed darkness, where even they couldn't reach me. I slipped unconscious to their distant laughter._

Tony woke up to blood curdling screaming. Not the "Stop splashing me with water!" kind, but the "I'm being tortured" kind. Tony knew that kind of scream well. He himself had screamed like that before.

Tony jumped out of bed and ran to where he thought the sound was coming from. He reached Loki's room first, with the rest of the team behind him.

Tony threw open the door, with Thor almost crushing him in his haste to see what was wrong with his brother. They found Loki thrashing on the bed mumbling things like

"I'll be obedient, just please stop"

"I tried! You have to believe me _I tried_ "

"Please stop, just kill me now….."

and even worse things. What could have been done to make Loki, the most cunning and proud person he had met, to make him _beg_ them to stop and for someone to just kill him now. Everyone was horrified and shocked. Even Clint, who had his bow pointed directly at Loki when they opened the door, looked horrified and he quickly lowered it. Even Clint couldn't help but feel bad for someone who so obviously went through something that _horrible._

Natasha was the quickest to react. She gently shook Loki and he woke with a jerk. He was sobbing and Natasha was holding him. Thor quickly enveloped his brother in a bone crushing hug, and Tony joined him in hugging Loki. Bruce was standing in front of Loki, checking to make sure he was okay, and he told the team that it looked like Loki was close to having a panic attack.

Natasha whispered in Russian to Loki, who somehow understood it.

"Они не могут больше получить вас, вы в безопасности. Это нормально, не бойся. Я буду держать вас в безопасности"

Loki looked up at her and whispered

"спасибо"

Once Loki was fairly calm, Bruce was the one who asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Loki, what happened to you?" Bruce said it gently, but Loki still flinched. He seemed reluctant, but Loki was smart enough to realize that after seeing him like that, there was really no hiding it anymore.

"I didn't willingly try to take over your world; I was being controlled by the Chituari." Loki looked at the ground, instead of at his brother's hurt expression. "They tortured me and were influencing my mind"

"But why would Odin not intervene? Why did I not know of this?" Thor asked, while staring at his brother worriedly.

"Odin specifically hid it from everyone, and it was my punishment for trying to take over the earth" Loki said sadly.

Tony looked shocked "Wait, your father gave you up to your mind controllers for them to torture you as punishment for being mind controlled?!"

"Yes, he did, and he's not my father" Loki said tiredly.

"I have daddy problems too but dang, maybe if your family was nicer to you then you wouldn't be so messed up" Tony said.

"It wasn't just Odin, my achievements were often downplayed or ignored because they were caused using magic. In Asgard, only women use magic. It is often drowned upon if a man uses it. However, I am thin and weak compared to most Asgardians. I never had Thor's strength, so I used what I was good at, which was magic" Loki said, glancing at Thor.

Thor looked hurt and he walked over and enveloped Loki in a hug. Tony actually heard bones crack, and he winced.

"Thor…you are..crush….ing me!" the smaller god squeaked out. Thor quickly let go of his brother, and Loki tumbled to the ground in a heap. Loki glared up at Thor, grumbling about 'the uses of moderation' and how 'strength isn't always a good thing'. Thor actually looked sheepish.

Seeing that Loki was calm and that the spectacle was over, the Avengers slowly filed out of the room until only Tony and Thor were left. As Tony began to leave however, Loki grabbed a hold of his t-shirt.

"Stay?" Loki said in an unusually quiet voice. Loki refused to look Tony in the eye, expecting him to say no.

Tony who knew what it was like to be tortured agreed.

"Sure, reindeer games"

Loki's startling green eyes snapped up to meet his own, looking surprised.

"I may not be the nicest, but even I cant hate you after learning that the Chituari tortured you"

Loki seemed to hesitate before saying "Its not like it's the first time that they had done that, I just learned to deal with it"

Tony caught the implications and asked

"Wait, your actions weren't entirely your own were they?" The more Tony thought about it, the more sense it made, Loki looking haggard _before_ the Hulk had even touched him, how set to take over the earth he had been, all of it.

Thor had mentioned that Loki never really desired to rule, and that he found it odd that Loki was acting like this. Thor had said that his brother, while skilled in politics, never wanted anything more than acknowledgement of his work. It all clicked into place in Tony's mind, Loki had been at least tortured into his actions or possibly even mind controlled.

Tony looked at Loki, who was staring at the floor, and took his chin in his hands. Tony forced Loki to look into his eyes

"Were the Chituari torturing and mind controlling you?" Tony asked, looking slightly sick.

Loki finally looked him in the eye and said "What does my answer matter anyway? I am called the lie smith, so why should you believe anything I say?"

Tony replied "Because you have basic human rights-well, Jotunn rights-and nobody should be held accountable for being mind controlled"

Loki looked at him, looking to see if he was being honest, and when he saw nothing fake said

"Yes, Odin removed their influence now but they were controlling me to a certain degree"

Tony nodded and asked "is it like when you controlled Clint? Clint said it wasn't like he was being mind controlled, it felt like he was a friend just helping"

"….No, their influence feels more like someone is constantly reading your mind, and telling you what to do or they inflict pain" Loki said


End file.
